Just weeks after closing six schools for good, the Alum Rock Union School District in San Jose is preparing for its next chapter: getting the campuses that will remain open ready for an influx of students from the closed schools.
Alum Rock made the drastic move, like many other districts in the state, because of declining enrollment and budget issues.
Superintendent German Cerda is excited about what lies ahead for his district. On Thursday, he welcomed NBC Bay Area to William Sheppard Middle School, which just received a fresh coat of paint. The school’s bathrooms will also be redone, the hallways will be power washed, and the scratched and tagged windows will be replaced.
“We’re fixing them up, beautifying them, fixing the irrigation system,” Cerda said. “It’s very exciting.”
Sheppard Middle School is where many students from Joseph George Middle School will be going. Joseph George was one of the casualties of declining enrollment in Alum Rock. Parents have had to scramble to figure out how to get their children to their new school, which is located more than two miles away.
The district will provide bussing for students from closed schools, and campuses will open early.
“Dropping students off at 7:15, 7:30 in the morning so that they’re there because we know we have a lot of families that have to go to work,” Cerda said. “Some of them work two jobs. We want to make sure we’re working with our families and providing what they need.”
Alum Rock is still facing a $9 million deficit this year and another $7 million next year, but Cerda remains optimistic, especially since the district was expecting to lose 300 additional students this year to other districts. Most of those students are now returning to Alum Rock after all.